Game of the Year: Rocket League

With all of the massive open-world games showing off the power of the Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PCs, it might be strange to see our Game of the Year for 2015, be a significantly smaller title. It is a perfect example of why gameplay is king. Rocket League is easy to pick-up and play, but difficult to master. Depending on who you are playing with, Rocket League can feel like a fun exhibition or an overwhelming barrage of scores and skill.

The soccer/football/hockey/racing hybrid is perfect for those who don't have much time to invest in a game. With that being said, I don't know how many times I decided to play one match before work or class, would say "just one more match," and then before I knew it, I would be 10 matches in, and late for work/class.

Congratulations to everyone at Psyonix, for winning Fox Radio Network's first official Game of the Year.

Suggested for fans of: ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING

The Best Video Games of 2015

These are some of our favorite video games of 2015. Listen to this episode of Nico Says Things to hear more about our Game of the Year and the ones that barely fell short!

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Where do we even start with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain? You can rescue hostages, infiltrate large military bases, blow stuff up, shoot guns, call in air-support, explore a vast open world, hide in a box, dress a dog, make your horse defecate on command, use that defecation as a trap, and make everything disappear by tying a balloon to it.

Is The Phantom Pain the greatest Metal Gear Solid game ever? Probably not, but it is the best game that just happens to be a Metal Gear Solid game. What do we mean by that? In terms of fun to be had, sheer beauty, scale, and things to do, no other Metal Gear Solid game even compares. Unfortunately, it lacks some of the great story quirks that we love so much from previous Metal Gear Solid titles. That's not to say that there aren't any, but for fans of the series, they may find the game lacking.

Even if you have never played any of the other Metal Gear Solid entries, do yourself a favor and pick up Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Her Story

Some people may have a difficult time calling Her Story a video game, but whatever you end up deciding to call it, you have to include adjectives such as: haunting, mysterious, and unique.

The core "gameplay" of Her Story is to explore a police database for videos regarding some sort of disappearance. It's a difficult game to discuss without potential spoilers, considering that the entire game revolves around its story. Speaking of story, because the player is exploring the database by searching keywords and receiving tiny bits of the story at their own pace and order, everyone's experience with the game is surely to be different. Unraveling the mystery is addicting, and you will find yourself looking at the tiniest details of Viva Seifert's excellent performance. This could be one of the best performances of the year, in any medium.

You can find pages and pages of people arguing about what truly happened, and videos on YouTube of fans sharing their best theories.

Splatoon

This Wii U exclusive is fun, fast, colorful, and competitive. With matches being short, Splatoon shares a lot of the "just one more match" quality with our official game of the year, Rocket League. Winning matches earns you an in-game currency to purchase better weapons and clothes with better perks.

While violence is an option, it is ultimately not the goal. Each team is fighting to cover the most ground with their team's paint. Players can contribute to a win without ever shooting or brushing another player. Trying to cover every inch of the map is satisfying, and losing ground is frustrating.

Even though this shooter is appropriate for the whole family, gamers more accustomed to competitive shooters should find plenty to enjoy in this new Nintendo property.

Bloodborne

This Playstation 4 exclusive is not for the faint-of-heart. It's bloody, weird, gross, scary, and extremely difficult. From Software brings the trademark challenge of Demon Souls and the Dark Souls series to this quicker-paced game. The combat is excellent, the world is beautiful (but drab), the sound design would make you think that blood is pouring from your speakers, and the character design is disturbing and can only be described as the-things-of-nightmares.

Bloodborne is hard to recommend, but if you are looking for a well-produced challenge, look no further than Bloodborne.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's biggest fault, is that there might be too much game! That may seem like a weird complaint, but unless you have the ability to place hours upon hours aside, for just this game, it might be best to stay away from it. No game in 2015 even comes close to the realization of its own universe, quite like The Witcher 3 does. There's stories to be told, beasts to discover and hunt, quests to complete, a card game to master, loot to gather, romantic interests to woo, spells to be casted, potions to be brewed, and so much more.

The game is so deep that it can be overwhelming to the casual gamer, but those willing to dive in, will find that CD Projekt Red is a studio not to be reckoned with.